DINNER IN LONDON FOR UNDER £20

You’ll be able to get a meal (starter and main, or a decent number of small plates) along with some booze for £20 — or sometimes well under — at all of the below. Our selection is spread across town and includes a variety of cuisines.

Banh Mi Bay, HolbornThe banh mi Vietnamese baguette is the centre-point of this all-day café-restaurant, but there’s also pho, summer rolls and chargrilled meats on offer. The food here bursts with fresh herbs and spices, and the noodles are all handmade on-site daily. Pho and most other main courses cost between £7 and £8.

Bonnington Café, VauxhallOriginally a squat, this restaurant in picturesque Bonnington Square (a couple of minutes from less picturesque Vauxhall station) is now a uniquely run co-operative. In the region of 20 different cooks head-up the kitchen here, taking residency for the day and preparing their own menus. You need to contact said chef directly to book and make enquiries about the menu (their details are on the website), but you’re rewarded for your efforts with mains for £8 and starters and desserts for £3. Plus it’s BYO with no corkage (50p per person for glass hire). With so many rotating cooks, it can be a little hit and miss but that’s all part of the gamble.

Brasserie Zedel, SohoPrix Fixe menus are available every day at this grand Parisian bistro close to Piccadilly Circus. At £9.75 for two courses or £12.75 for three, an evening here need set you back only marginally more than a portion of fish and chips (or a supermarket ready meal) but features superb service, a bustling atmosphere and French food that’s up there with the city’s best. Keep drinks to a minimum if budgets are really tight, or make the most of the cheap food to make a budget night of it.

KaoSarn, Brixton and BatterseaThe original of this two-branched Thai restaurant gained popularity at Brixton Village for its hefty flavours, intricate spicing, low prices and BYO licence. It now follows the same formula for its second opening in Battersea, not far from Clapham Junction station. All the classics are present, and correct, and we find the standard of meat and fish to be notably higher than at many a shabby Thai. The atmosphere at both restaurants is informal and bustling, though the Battersea branch is a touch smarter.

The Vincent Rooms, WestminsterFrom carefully created classic dishes with a modern twist, to attentive service, this plush restaurant feels far too classy for the price. The catch? Well, it’s run by Westminster Kingsway College and staffed by their cheffing and hospitality students. If that puts anyone off, then all the more space for the rest of us; the students are overseen by pros at all times and our experience (as well as that of other reviewers) is that it’s a pretty slick operation. The menu is constantly changing but expect the likes of pan-fried sea bream with crab risotto and samphire, or pork belly roasted in dark ale. Mains are in the region of £9-£12, starters and desserts £4-£6. The restaurant closes for college holidays, so check timings before you travel.

January 13, 2017

January 13, 2017

FREE STUFF

SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY:Lose yourself in Zara Hussein's sculptural installation Numina at Barbican, combining designs of the Islamic world with modern digital arts. Free, just turn up,until 25 January

JOURNEY TO JUSTICE: Multimedia exhibition Journey to Justice, at Morley Gallery, tells the story of the US civil rights movement, its connection with the UK and the impact it had on the world. Using a series of 'bus stops', the exhibition focuses on the stories of people who are less known in the UK. Free, just turn up,until 3 February [open Monday-Saturday]